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Ashley Cordier, left, and Erin Prey are members of RESOLVE, a support group for couples dealing with infertility. Prey is the lead volunteer who started the group.

Erin Prey started the RESOLVE support group in this area for couples dealing with infertility. While Mother’s Day is a happy celebration for most women, she said it can be sad and frustrating for those who are having trouble getting pregnant.

“When I was going through my own family building process using infertility treatments, I vowed that one day when my journey came full circle I would turn a very hard time in my life into something positive,” Prey said. “I wanted to advocate and support other women and couples who are currently struggling with a disease that affects one in eight couples.”

Prey couldn’t get pregnant naturally so she and her husband, Mike, got help through Aurora’s fertility clinic in Green Bay. She had tests, hundreds of injections and several rounds of in-vitro fertilization to get her son and daughter.

“It‘s one of those things in life that only those who have gone through it or those who are going through it will understand,” said Prey, a school psychologist at Hillcrest Primary School in Shawano.

Ashley Cordier, of De Pere, joined the support group as she and her husband have been trying to have a baby for 2½ years.

“It’s frustrating,” Cordier said.

Cordier appreciates being able to talk to others who know what she and her husband are going through and get support and the strength to continue.

“It’s been good to be a part of that,” she said. “Everyone’s been so supportive. It’s a great group and I hope we find more people we can help and then help each other.”

Right now the support group is in the early stages. The women share and talk online on a private and confidential website started by Prey. It is the only support group of its type north of Milwaukee and Madison.

“Being that I live in a rural community, it is a struggle to gather the members in the group, who for now, all live in different communities,” Prey said. “It’s a place where the members can feel safe to share their stories and feelings.”

Prey and Cordier have met recently, and plans are for the other members of the group to meet face to face later this month, providing another level of support.

Prey knows just how women who are having trouble with fertility feel on Mother’s Day.

“Just as some may grieve the loss of their mother on this day, women who are struggling to become mothers also experience a mixture of emotions,” Prey said. “Being part of this support group will hopefully allow these women who share similar feelings regarding this day to be able to really support each other and know they are not alone.”

Prey can be contacted through the RESOLVE website or by calling 715-853-8624.